Improvement in canal-tugs



'N luitr tatt @sont @Wina do hereby declare that the following STEPHEN R. KIRBY, OF 'NEW YORK, N. Y.

Lam Patent No. 96,013, dated 'october 19, 1869.

IMPRO-VEMEN '1' IN CANAL-TUGS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and makingvpart of the lame.

To all whom'it may concern Be it'known'that I, STEPHEN R. KIRBY, of the city, county, and Stateof New York', have invented a new and useful Improvement in Canal-Tugs; and I is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and opera.- tin of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a par of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section.

' Figure 2 is a plan View.

This invention relates to tugsused in drawing canalboats, and for general traction purposes.

The invention consists in providing amidships a Aslide towing-chock, capable of moving from one side of the vessel to the other, to which chock thetow- -lines are fastened, and from which ropes pass through blocks at the sides to the Wheel-house, where they are connected with a` winch, to enable the man at the wheel to shift the chock, at pleasure, in, or to regulate the position ofthe tu'g, as may be necessary.

In the drawings- A represents the tug;'

a, the'well in her-stern; and

a', the propeller-wheel.

The holes through the sides ofthe well are seen at @running at any desired or practicable angle from forward back, and from outside inward, lin order to allow the-water to pass in or out the-more easily,'and having their outer ends provided With parallel bars b', to keep drift-wood or the like from the wheel.

The dimensions of the passages b must be regulated according to the size of the vessel. They should be as large as may be without weakening the vessel, and as nearly parallel with the keel as possible. They subserve a very important purpose in the way indicated, as must be quite apparent without further description. This is a wellknown device.

4B is a stationary guide-bar, securely placed athwart the" vessel amidships.

To the guide-bar isloosely attached a slide, called a towing-chock, and to the rear end of the towingchock is'attached the front endv of the tow-line c.

From the forward end of the chock, ropes c c pass, one to .each side df the vessel, and run through blocks d d d d along thesides, and thence into the wheelhouse C, where they-'are attached to a winch, by means of which the helmsrnan is enabled to shift the chock from side to side 'with the utmost ease, and thus change the position of the tug with reference to keeping it off the sides of the canal, as in passing through a curve, orwhen the wind blows across.

The chock will be placed as nearly amidships ofthe vessel as possible, so that she may turn on her centre withoutdiculty.

Having thus described mynvention,

What I claim as new, and vdesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The towing-chock, consisting essentially of the guide` B and slide B', in combination with the ropes c' and blocks d, arranged and operating substantially as described.

STEPHEN R. KIRBY. Witnesses:

GRAS. A. PETTIg, S. O. KEMON. 

